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To go along with the article below, I ask this: why do you think the Civil War is remembered much more in the South than the North? I suppose the number of quantity of Civil War-related sites has something to do with it, but there has to be something else going on as well.
Massachusetts, a state that sent more than 150,000 men to battle and was home to some of the nation's most radical abolitionists, created a Civil War commemoration commission just earlier this month. Aging monuments stand unattended, sometimes even vandalized. Sites of major historical events related to the war remain largely unknown and often compete with the more regionally popular American Revolution attractions.Meanwhile, states like Arkansas, Virginia, North Carolina and Missouri not only established commissions months, if not years ago, but also have ambitious plans for remembrance around well-known tourist sites and events. In South Carolina, for example, 300 Civil War re-enactors participated last week in well-organized staged battles to mark the beginning of the war.
Simple answer, Because the South Lost and defeats are commemorated much more than victories by the losers.
What about the current political map? It's more Liberal in the northeast and more Conservative in the south.
The South has always remembered the Civil War more than the north, I dont think political leanings have anything to do with it.
a Harris Interactive poll in January found that 54% of Americans believe the South was fighting for states' rights rather than to preserve slavery, with 69% believing the North was fighting to preserve the Union rather than to abolish the institution."There was something that deeply embedded the Civil War into the mentality of the South, because the South lost," "I think the South is a region that demonstrates... the truth of William Faulkner's statement: The past is not dead. It's not even over."http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-13040351 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-13022128
You also have to remember that nearly (but not all) the battles were fought on southern soil. I would say that tends to make remembering more significant.
You also have to remember that nearly (but not all) the battles were fought on southern soil. I would say that tends to make remembering more significant.
To an extent, but then why is WWII so well remembered. It was not nearly as cataclysmic in terms of lives lost as the Civil War yet it is still remembered.
Another thought — after the war, the greatest number of immigrants stayed in the north or moved to the new states out west. They had no connection with thst part of our history, and when they learned about it could not possibly have the same emotional interest as those who had fought or whose family/ancestors had fought.
You also have to remember that nearly (but not all) the battles were fought on southern soil. I would say that tends to make remembering more significant.
To an extent, but then why is WWII so well remembered. It was not nearly as cataclysmic in terms of lives lost as the Civil War yet it is still remembered.
If you only count soldiers. Add in the holocaust victims and you get a pretty significant number and a human horror story that also leaves a pretty lasting image for generations.
I will tell you that EVERY German town, no matter how small, has a War Memorial that lists the names of the locals who perished in both World Wars as well as many also have monuments to the German Wars of Liberation from 1864-1871. You only see that type of commemoration of the Civil War in the South and in some parts of New England. I still think it is because the South lost, but after further reflection it is also because the people in the South tend to be more outwardly Patriotic than Northerners for some reason.
You also have to remember that nearly (but not all) the battles were fought on southern soil. I would say that tends to make remembering more significant.
Well, let's see...My office is on "Battleview Parkway" and is less than 100 meters from the border of a battlefield national parkMy house is a mile from another Civil War battlefieldI grew up being drug from one battlefield to anotherMy father grew up at the foot of Marye's Heights and as a little kid, would walk out in the yard after a rain to collect Minnie balls from the little vegetable gardenOn another level, growing up, Lee-Jackson day was a holiday.There are schools dotted all over the Virginia map named "R.E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, and Stuart" (admittedly, there are just as many named "Jefferson")Really, I think that it has to do with the cult of the "Lost Cause" -- while the Confederacy lost the war, I don't think that most Southerners of the time ever admitted that they had been defeated. The myth of the Lost Cause was active in revision of primary school textbooks up through the 1930s (and I think some of that legacy is left). In the pains of reconstruction, I think that people clung to whatever they could to hold onto their dignity - and as a result, the war has become a lasting part of the cultural memory - although it is fading somewhat.
Really, I think that it has to do with the cult of the "Lost Cause" -- while the Confederacy lost the war, I don't think that most Southerners of the time ever admitted that they had been defeated. The myth of the Lost Cause was active in revision of primary school textbooks up through the 1930s (and I think some of that legacy is left). In the pains of reconstruction, I think that people clung to whatever they could to hold onto their dignity - and as a result, the war has become a lasting part of the cultural memory - although it is fading somewhat.
There's probably a lot of truth in this.Where I grew up in the West the Civil War was viewed a historical event. Nobody related to it through family history.My brother-in-law (who is a great guy that I really respect) grew up in Charleston, SC; my sister has lived in the South since her marriage (over 20 years ago). I've seen her views change over time. The Civil War is now personal to her because of the oral history she's heard from her in-laws and others.I've discussed slavery, the Civil War, and related issues with her many times. She's now very guarded about what she says--expect about how terrible Sherman was. Her comment to me several times has been, "What am I supposed to do? Tell my children their ancestors were bad men."She, like others I've encountered, is (at least publicly) in denial about slavery being the causal ingredient of the Civil War. So I suspect you're right about the role the Lost Cause plays in Southern perceptions of slavery, the Civil War, and related issues (like the Civil War was fought over property rights, not States Rights).
